How much debt do Villanova University history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 17 history bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from Villanova University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 97% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Pennsylvania programs before deciding.

Villanova University History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in History
Private nonprofit university
Villanova, PA
About 26 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Villanova University history graduates earn less than graduates of most history programs nationally, $27,882 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 77% of history programs in the country. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,88225th percentile of 370 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,0007th lowest of 17 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings97%Pennsylvania median 91%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Pennsylvania and national columns are the medians across all history bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Villanova University	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,882	$29,451	$31,710
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	97%	91%	73%
Programs compared		19	370

Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania history program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Pennsylvania medians.

Villanova UniversityOther Pennsylvania programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 12.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $27,882 salary here buys what about $27,188 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to history, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,800

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 52,240 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $51,440Top 10%: $102,360

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,900

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 7,980 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $59,040Top 10%: $312,510

Tour and Travel Guides

$32,910

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 1,970 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $23,390Top 10%: $53,540

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$47,150

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 310 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $35,040Top 10%: $84,290

About Villanova University

Tuition and fees	$67,776 / year
Average net price after aid	$43,756 / year
Admission rate	27%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	92%
Undergraduate students	6,938

History ranks 27th of 28 bachelor's programs at Villanova University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($94,228), Electrical Engineering ($90,302), and Nursing ($86,241).

Other history bachelor's programs near Villanova

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit		$27,882	$27,000
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	10 mi	$48,555	$11,000
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	10 mi	$33,586	$26,000
Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ · public	25 mi	$35,150	$25,500
TCNJEwing, NJ · public	34 mi	$26,218	$25,000
Rider UniversityLawrenceville, NJ · private nonprofit	36 mi	$46,393	$27,000
Albright CollegeReading, PA · private nonprofit	38 mi	$19,041	$27,000
Kutztown University of PennsylvaniaKutztown, PA · public	40 mi	$26,761	$27,000
Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersville, PA · public	54 mi	$30,792	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,882 one year after graduating. The median across history bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $29,451.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Pennsylvania comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the history program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

History bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania, ranked19 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All Villanova University programs, ranked28 programs by pay and debt